At Boulder's Rincon Argentino, dozens unite over World Cup heartbreak

For about four hours Saturday, the northeast corner of Folsom Street and Arapahoe Avenue might have passed for a slice of Buenos Aires.

Dozens of Argentines, waving flags and clad in baby blue and white jerseys, flooded the tiny Boulder restaurant Rincon Argentino to cheer on their side in the World Cup Final against Germany.

They munched empanadas in the hundreds, cursed the referees in Spanish and went nuts every time Univision cameras caught superstar Lionel Messi.

"This is a really great place," Argentine-American Luis Trejo said of Rincon, which opened two years ago. "Before, we'd just have to watch in our own homes. It's really brought us together as a country, as a family.

"Guillermo Kussy, left, and his wife, Laia Miarnan, feel the pain of the loss to Germany. World Cup fans of Argentina gathered at Rincon Argentina in Boulder on Sunday to watch the game. For more photos and a video of the fans, go to www.dailycamera.com.com.
Cliff Grassmick / July 13, 2014
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"It's so important to have a place like this for us," said Rincon's owner, Argentina native Christian Saber. "To see your national team, it's amazing. It's emotional. It's not just to come and have some empanadas and watch soccer. It's to talk your language, to meet new people that live in the same place that you didn't even know before. I love that.

The jubilation began well before game time, and lasted 113 minutes - until Mario Gotze and Andre Schurrle, the first two players born in a unified Germany to suit up for the country, combined on an extra-time goal to seal the 1-0 victory.

"I'm very sad. Very, very sad," said Boulder's Paul Garcia, originally from Patagonia. "I want to cry. I won't cry. I'm crying inside.

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"In Argentina, it's everything. The national team, for us, is everything."

Boulder's Patrick Russell, whose wife, Alejandra, moved to the U.S. 14 years ago from Buenos Aires, said the passion for soccer visible at Rincon simply doesn't exist in this country.

"This is life for them," he said. "It's embedded in their culture. Americans, we have so many games. It's good to see we're getting more interested, but it's not the same."

"We feel something that I can't explain," said William Ledesma of Buenos Aires.

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